The nation gets to know again

The redoubtable Arnab Goswami is back again. His much-awaited Republic TV launched on May 6 with a shocking exposé of a recorded conversation between RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Mohammad Shahabuddin where he is heard promising the criminal-turned-politician to transfer the SP of Siwan. Republic TV aired the audio tape of the chat it is in possession of where the duo can be heard talking about the deal.

Looking sharp with a new hairstyle, Goswami was his old fire-and-brimstone self, calling on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to break ties with RJD even if it means losing majority in the assembly. Meanwhile, the social media is all abuzz about his return. And on his very first day at work, his channel’s exposé has exercised the powerful and drawn a reaction from BJP’s Sushil Modi.

The 43-year-old Goswami has been to Oxford and started his career in The Telegraph, Kolkata. He had a stint with NDTV before joining Times Now as editor-in-chief. He resigned in November 2016.

Republic TV will be ‘free-to-air’ and is part of the ARG Outlier Media Private Limited. Among its main investors are Rajya Sabha member’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s Asianet News Online Private Limited, and SARG Media Holding Private Limited which is owned by Goswami himself. It was also earlier rumored that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp was among the main funders. In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Republic TV will be made available on online streaming service Hotstar as well.

Views on News, unique magazine that monitors and takes a critical look at the challenging, competitive world of Indian and global media every fortnight; and Akbari, a weekly newspaper in Hindi and Urdu.